Film Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past

X-Men: Days of Future Past. Rated M (science fiction themes, violence and infrequent coarse language). 131 minutes. Directed by Bryan Singer. Screenplay by Simon Kinberg.

Verdict: A hypnotic return to form for the X-Men series.

Boasting ambitious storytelling on an epic scale, matched with superb visual effects and an outstanding ensemble of actors all at the top of their game, this instalment of the X-Man franchise is an often brilliant, and always engrossing, addition to the big screen adventures of Marvel’s X-Men.

Faced with extinction at the hands of an undefeatable foe known as Sentinels, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is sent back to the time these formidable creatures were invented by Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage). At this juncture, Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) had shot and killed Trask, which brought about the rise of the Sentinels who were created to exterminate the mutants in revenge for his murder. Charged with altering to course of history, Wolverine must reunite the young Charles (James McAvoy) with the younger Erik (Michael Fassbender) to ensure that Mystique doesn’t make the same mistake again.

Kinberg’s (Sherlock Holmes, X-Men: The Last Stand) screenplay manages to tell what might have been a collision of plots, subplots and character-based exposition extraordinarily well – to the point where even those who haven’t caught up with this successful series won’t be left wondering what on earth is going on. There are even some great laughs, particularly when Quicksilver (Evan Peters), is recruited to help Erik escape from a maximum security prison, deep within the Pentagon.

Singer (X-Men, X-Men 2, Superman Returns) and frequent collaborator, cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, capture every moment of the story with supreme confidence. Unusually for this genre (and this series in particular), there is never a moment where it threatens to take itself far too seriously. Instead, X-Men: Days of Future Past plays out at a furious pace from the first frame, and the emotionally-charged awareness of all that is at stake makes for an extremely rewarding, big screen experience.

This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.

Film Review: 12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave. Rated MA15+ (strong themes and violence). 134 minutes. Directed by Steve McQueen. Screenplay by John Ridley. Based on the memoir by Solomon Northup.

Verdict: A perfect film about a far from perfect world.

It’s rare that a film manages to transport you into the heart of another time and place so completely – to the point where when you emerge from the cinema, everything around you feels strangely unfamiliar.

McQueen’s (Hunger, Shame) and Ridley’s forensic examination of the psychological and physical horrors of slavery is an intensely gruelling experience, with an extreme level of anxiety constantly powering the saga. Even though it is beautifully framed and photographed by McQueen’s frequent collaborator, cinematographer Sean Bobbitt, the perfect lighting in every shot makes the horror of what is happening in the story even more challenging to watch.

Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children of Men, Salt) is excellent as freeman Solomon Northup who is kidnapped, shipped to New Orleans and sold into slavery. Separated from his wife and two children, Solomon is passed from plantation owner William Ford (a conscious-stricken Benedict Cumberbatch) to Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender, on fire), where the torment inflicted on Solomon and his fellow slaves reaches an almost unwatchable zenith.

As the young female slave Patsey, Lupita Nyong'o (making her debut) is astonishing, delivering an unforgettable performance of such extraordinary depth that it defies comprehension. In what should have been an un-actable scene where Patsey begs Solomon to end her tormented existence by killing her, you may well find yourself hoping he obliges.

12 Years a Slave is a difficult film to experience. The film-makers waste no time plunging us into a world in which a noble, talented man finds himself not only powerless, but with no visible means of escape from a nightmare of someone else’s making. My lasting memory, days later, is of a beautiful world devouring itself from the inside out.

This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.